1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to signal processing receivers, and, more specifically, to methods and apparatuses for equalizing signals received by such devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
In communication systems, such as systems that adhere to the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) release 5 (R5) or release 6 (R6) standards, an automatic gain controller (AGC) is typically employed at the front end of a receiver to compensate for changes in the average amplitude of a received signal. These changes may result from channel effects such as fading or from fluctuations in a transmitter's power. When an AGC experiences relatively large changes in the average amplitude of a received signal, the AGC performs gain adjustments to compensate for these changes. Downstream of the AGC, an equalizer is typically employed, which equalizes the received signal to closely approximate the original pre-transmission signal. When gain adjustments occur at the AGC, if the equalizer does not adapt quickly to the gain changes, then errors may result during recovery of the transmitted data, and consequently, the data may need to be retransmitted.